Local

Below-freezing temperatures and a multi-layer roof made putting out a blaze a challenge for firefighters Monday night.
Firefighters got a call shortly after 9 p.m. about a fire at the S&M Mini Mart on Kershaw-Camden Highway in the Pleasant Hill community.
Crews arrived minutes later to find the left rear section of the building on fire, said Patrick Helms, chief of the Heath Springs Fire Department.

Fire departments battled two fires on Dec. 22, one of which involved the arrest of a man who allegedly tried to steal fire equipment from the scene.
Gooches Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Randy Hardin said firefighters responded about 6:30 p.m. to 1125 9th St., Lancaster.
Hardin said flames were visible through the vacant mill house’s roof when firefighters arrived.
He said the home was a total loss. A cause of fire has yet to be determined.

While Mother Nature played havoc with much of the East Coast, she kept her touch gentle in these parts with just enough snow to transform Lancaster County into a winter wonderland.
According to the National Weather Service, Lancaster County received between 2 and 5 inches Sunday, with the heaviest amounts falling in the northern and eastern parts of the county.
Residents across the region had been watching the weather projections for days, when forecasters began saying that the Charlotte area had its first good chance for a white Christmas since 1947.

Brenda Hilley and Sarah Funderburk of Lancaster believe sisters make the best friends.
Hilley, the oldest of five sisters and four brothers in the Deese family, was “second mama” to her other siblings. As children, they learned to support and encourage each other, and remained close as they grew up.
Both Hilley and her younger sister, Funderburk, are artistic and enjoy making many different kinds of hand-crafted gifts for friends and family.
Their Christmas trees are filled with ornaments – most of which are their own creations.

In one week, the Ward Faulkenberry Memorial Christmas Basket Fund nearly doubled the amount of money generated to help area residents in need.
Slightly more than $5,200 was donated to the fund through Wednesday of last week, bringing the grand total to $11,602.
Other donations were coming in but aren’t included in this story because of The Lancaster News’ early deadline for the Christmas holiday.
Donations received after Wednesday will be reported in next week’s roundup.

Reece Murphyrmurphy@thelancasternews.com
There’s an old saying that says “never bet on the weather.”
If you’re hoping for a white Christmas this year, it may be prudent to take the adage to heart.
Competing computer-generated forecasts are causing uncertainty as to how much snow will fall on Christmas.

Jesef Williamsjwilliams@thelancasternews.com
Malachi and Bridgette Cherry’s yard had probably never been so crowded.
Hundreds of people visited their Pleasant Hill Street home Wednesday to take part in a free lunch that the Cherrys spearheaded.
Dozens of community members joined the couple in putting on this lunch, which they say was a way to give back to the community and spread Christmas cheer.

Reece Murphyrmurphy@thelancasternews.com
The glowing maple tree is impossible to miss if you’re driving along quiet Rosewood Court in Lancaster.
The grand spectacle is the work of J.E. Hinson and it’s the sole piece of Christmas decoration outside his modest home.
But what a piece of decoration it is.
Twenty-feet tall, its base a glowing halo of white, streams of red twisting up into the upper branches, the effect is that of a glimmering bowl of fire.

Chris Sardellicsardelli@thelancasternews.com
Whether they’re scribbled in crayon on notebook paper or printed on festive Christmas stationary, the message always begins the same way: “Dear Santa.”
Little hands have furiously written their Christmas wish lists to the big guy in red, hoping to get their favorite presents on Christmas Day.

Reece Murphyrmurphy@thelancasternews.com
INDIAN LAND – The Indian Land community has reached out to help a local family displaced by fire.
According to a Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office incident report, Jason and Kimberly Boone had just returned home from eating dinner out with their two young sons late Dec. 11 when they found the roof of their home on fire.
The family’s $60,000 home at 985 Rock Hill Highway was declared a total loss.